Automatic coil feed for sealed beam lamps



G. A. DAINES 3,347,414

AUTOMATIC COIL FEED FOR SEALED BEAM LAMPS File d Jan. 14. 1,966

' 2 Sheets-Sheet I Get. 17, 1967 G.A. DAINES AUTOMATIC COIL FEED FOR SEALED BEAM LAMPS Filed Jan. 14,,1966

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3.

m m@ m 0 Q. A 4 v m v 4 l V IlL 0 1||| 4 5 O, 2 O M w 6 M 6 )8 8 6 l 4 2. O 4 6 a 4 4 4 J O y B O v Fl l\ I I J 11 L 8 1| 1| 7 5 6 7 I United States Patent Oiiice 3,347,414 AUTOMATIC COIL FEED FOR SEALED BEAM LAMPS Geoffrey A. Daines, West Caldwell, N.J., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan.'14, 1966, Ser. No. 520,747 4 Claims. (Cl. 221-200) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to material handling devices and more particularly to a device for automatically transferring filament coils from a filament forming machine to a machine for mounting filament coils in electric lamps.

Similar mechanisms employed for this purpose have encountered a number of obstacles. The usual configuration of a filament coil of the type,

wirewound as a helix which dependent leg portion and an outwardly curved foot portion. The leg portion serves to support the filament a preselected distance from the lead-in conductors and hence the reflector while the feet facilitate the mounting of the filament in small notches in the lead-in conductors. In a conventional lamp manufacturing process, coils are formed on a separate filament formmg machine and conveyed to a mount machine where they are mounted on the lead-in conductors of a lamp. During transit from one machine to another the conveying means must orient each filament to a position which renders it susceptible to being picked up individually and automatically positioned in a lamp.

A saddle type, vibrating feed track has been successfully employed to convey coils of the above-described design. This method permits the coil to ride orsaddle with the leg and feet portions hanging down on each side of the track, thus orienting the filament in a vertical position for pick up. Constant vibration of the terminates at each end in a coils, however, causes the leg and front portions of adja-' cent coils to become entangled, and as the end coil is picked up this entanglement causes the filament to be pulled out of or mis-oriented in the pickup device with a consequent jamming of the system and loss of production time. The manufacture of coils without feet eliminated this problem to some degree, but the use of feetless coils renders the mounting of a filament on the lead-in conductors of a lamp extremely diflicult.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved filament handling system for transferring filament coils from a coil forming machine to a coil mounting machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a filament transfer system which will operate without jamming due to filament foot entanglement.

A further object of the present invention is to provide positive retention of a coil in a fixed position during a portion of the transfer operation.

on the track.

for example, generally used in sealed beam headlamps includes a single, fine strand of 12 of thin wire wound 3,347,414 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 Briefly, the foregoing objects are accomplished by pro viding a sloped, vibrating delivery track for delivering completed filament coils in a vertical array to a first position, elevator means for receiving a coil at said first position including a pring urged coil hold down means for securing said coil and stripping its feet from entanglement with adjacent coil feet as the elevator moves to a second position. At the second position the elevator dwells while pick up means from said mount machine coacts with a detent on said hold down means to retract the hold down means from its spring urged position to permit removal of the coil from the elevator.

The foregoing objects, as well as many of the attendant advantages, of the present invention will become better understood as the detailed description which follows is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a filament coil of the type the transfer apparatus of the present invention normally carries.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view, partly in section, of the delivery track and elevator of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the elevator and part of the delivery track of the present invention with the elevator in its first position.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the elevator and part of the delivery track of the present invention with the elevator in its second position, and

FIG. 5 i a sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawings wherein like reference characters represent like parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a filament coil generally designated 10 which includes an elongated coil in a tight helix to form the coil barrel having at each end downwardly projecting leg portions 14 which terminate in outwardly directed feet portions 16. Leg portions 14, in conjunction with the conventional lead-in conductor (not shown), serve to position the filament at a desired location within a lamp while feet portions 16 facilitate the mounting of the filament coil 10 on the lead-in conductors of a lamp.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown at 18 a support table having a top 20 secured thereto by any conventional means, such as by welding, bolting or otherwise.

Table top 20 serves as a mount and guide support for associating the delivery track mechanism generally designated 24 and the elevator transfer mechanism generally designated 26. The delivery track mechanism 24 includes an elongated sloped, vibrating conveyor having a base member 28 and a cover plate 30. Base member 28 has on its upper side a substantially T-shaped track or bed 32 upon which filament coils 10 are carried. The edges of T- shaped member 32 are spaced apart a distance approximating that between the downwardly projecting leg portions 14 of coil filaments 10 to maintain the coils in a position substantially perpendicular to the track 32. The delivery track mechanism 24 is suitably supported. by a number of upright post members 34 having flanged tops 36 which are resiliently secured to the bottom of base member 28 by a suitable resilient means as, for example, rubber washers 38.

Suitable vibration is imparted to the base member 28 of the delivery track 24 by means of a conventional balltype air vibrator shown at 40. By employing a ball-type air vibrator 40 the frequency of vibration and hence the rate of descent of coils along the sloped track member 32 can be controlled by the velocity of air supplied to the vibrator. Of course, other conventional vibrators may be used, as for example, an electrically pulsed vibrator, without departing from the scope of the invention. For purposes of illustration, several spaced filament coils 10 are shown riding on track 32, whereas in actual operation the coils are tightly bunched in a manner which causes the feet 16 and legs 14 of adjacent coils to become entangled as they progress along the track through vibration thereof. Base member 28 of delivery track mechanism 24 terminates within a cutout portion of support block 42 mounted on table top 20 with the end of the track 32 adjacent a similarly contour portion 43 of block 42 which serves as a stationary terminus for the vibrating track.

Elevator transfer mechanism 26 is mounted at the top of a hydraulically-operated, bearing-guided, elevating shaft 44 (FIG. 4). Elevator transfer mechanism 26 is raised and lowered by a conventional hydraulic piston and cylinder mechanism generally designated 46 operated by a suitable valve mechanism (not shown) through hydraulic lines 48. The elevator transfer mechanism 26 is guided by a plurality of bearing guides (not shown) coacting with the lateral surfaces 50 of a dovetail guide member 52 on the transfer mechanism. Mounted on the dovetail guide member 52 are a pair of adjustable limit stops 54 and 56 which respectively control the upward and downward extent of travel of transfer mechanism 26.

Mounted on the head assembly 27 of the elevator transfer mechanism 26 by pivot 58, is a bell crank member 61 having a short arm 60 and a long arm 62. A coil spring 64 is mounted between arm 60 and a projection 66 on the head assembly 27, the action of which spring tends to rot'ate bell crank 61 about pivot 58 in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

On the opposite side of short arm 60 from spring 64 is mounted a hollow internally threaded shaft member 68 into which is threaded a bolt 70 having a. rounded head portion 72. A lock nut 74 is also threaded on bolt 70 in order to facilitate the locking of head 72 a fixed distance above shaft 68, the function of which head will later be described.

The upper arm 62 of bell crank 61 is in the form of a yoke having bifurcated arms within which the coil hold down arm 76 having downwardly extended legs forming a guide saddle 78 is pivotally mounted. A compression screw 84 extends through slot 86 (FIG. 5.) in hold down arm 76 and is threaded into the top of head assembly 27 and through its compressive action causes the. underside of arm 76. to ride at all times in contact with the fiat top portion of head assembly 27. Coil hold down arm 76 includes a curved extension 82 which overlies an arcuate. depression in the upright frontal portion of head assembly 27. A face plate 90 is secured to the front edge of head assembly 27 and terminates. at its upper end in an arcuate seat which complements the depression at the top of the upright frontal portion of the head assembly to form an arcuate depressed seat 85. for receiving coils one at a time only.

In operation coils 10, are transferred from a. coil forming machine (not shown) to the vibrating feed track 24 at its end remote from elevator 26. The vibratory motion imparted to the base of track member 28 by the ball-type air vibrator 40 will cause the coils to move slowly but steadily in a downward direction along track 32. The end.- most coil on the stationary portion of the track at 43 will be forced by the movement of adjacent coils into seat 85. at the top of the upright portion of head assembly 27 when the elevator transfer mechanism 26 is, in its downwardmost position as determined by stop 54. The action of. coil spring 64 on the short leg 60. of bell crank 61 will cause the bell crank to pivot about the pivot 58, thus forc ing the vertical portion of curved extension 82 of the coil hold down bar against the back of the upright portion of head 27 to cause the hold down member, the horizontal portion of the curved extension, to overlie a coil 10 received in said seat 85. As the elevator begins to rise from this first position, the hold down member overlying the coil will prevent the coil from being tilted or pulled out of the seat because of entanglement of its feet with the feet or leg portions of adjacent coils. Face plate 90 will prevent additional coils from leaving the stationary portion 43 of track 32 at its open end when the seat is not in a coil receiving position adjacent that opening.

When the elevator transfer mechanism 26 reaches its uppermost position, a conventional pickup mechanism from the coil mounting machine will descend to grasp and pick up the coil while a cammed surface 92 thereon will operate as a release means and coact with the rounded head 72 of the bolt to cause the bell crank 61 to be pivoted in a clockwise direction against the action or spring 64, thus removing the coil hold down member from overlying the coil 10 carried in seat 85.

After the coil 10 has been picked up by the coil pickup mechanism, elevator 44 descends again to its first position with seat 85 adjacent the end of tracks 32, 43 in preparation for the next cycle.

As can be seen by the foregoing, the coil transfer mechanism of the present invention provides an automatic coil feed wherein the coils are sequentially and individually lifted from a delivery track, stripped from entanglement with adjacent coils, and transfer-red to a second position in a selected orientation without loss of time or breakdown due to such entanglement.

Since numerous changes may be made in the above described apparatus and different embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for delivering filament coils from a coil forming machine to a machine for mounting said coils in electric lamps comprising:

(a) delivery track means for delivering completed filament coils from a coil forming machine to a first position,

(b) elevator means having an arcuate depression forming a coil seat thereon for sequentially receiving individual coils at said first position,

(c) coil hold down means spring urged to a position overlying said seat and adapted to. prevent a coil from being stripped from said seat upon movement of said elevator means, said hold down means being spaced above said seat a distance greater than the diameter of coil,

(d) drive means for moving said elevator means from said first position to a second position, and

(e) releasing means constructed and arranged to remove said coil hold down means from its coil retaining position when said elevator means is at said second position.

2. A device according to claim- 1 wherein said delivery track means is a sloped vibrating track.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein detent means is provided on said elevator means to coact with said releasing means to remove said coil hold down means from its seat overlying position against the action of said spring urging.

4. A device for delivering filament coils from a coil forming machine to a machine for mounting said coils in an electric lamp comprising:

(a) elevator means having a coil carrying seat at the upper end thereof and operable to move a coil from a first position to a second position,

(b) means for reciprocating said elevator means from said first position tosaid second position and back to said first position,

('c) a bell crank mounted on said elevater means,

(d) coil hold down means slidably mounted on said elevator means and attached to one arm of said bell crank, said coil hold down means being spaced above said seat a distance greater than the diameter of the coil,

(e) spring means mounted between said elevator means and the other arm of said bell crank to urge said coil hold down means into an operative position overlying said seat,

(f) a sloped vibrating delivery track for delivering coils sequentially to said first position,

(g) detent means mounted on said other arm of said bell crank opposite said spring, and

(h) release means constructed and arranged to contact said detent means at said second position to remove said coil hold down means from its operative References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1880 King 221-210 1 2/1952 Kaserman 221210 I 7/1962 Thomas 19822 FOREIGN PATENTS 2/1933 Great Britain.

position as said coil is removed from said coil seat. 0 WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner- 

1. A DEVICE FOR DELIVERING FILAMENT COILS FROM A COIL FORMING MACHINE TO A MACHINE FOR MOUNTING SAID COILS IN ELECTRIC LAMPS COMPRISING: (A) DELIVERY TRACK MEANS FOR DELIVERING COMPLETED FILAMENT COILS FROM A COIL FORMING MACHINE TO A FIRST POSITION, (B) ELEVATOR MEANS HAVING AN ARCUATE DEPRESSION FORMING A COIL SEAT AND ADAPTED TO PREVENT A COIL DIVIDUAL COILS AT SAID FIRST POSITION, (C) COIL HOLD DOWN MEANS SPRING URGED TO A POSITION OVERLYING SAID SEAT AND ADAPTED TO PREVENT A COIL FOR BEING STRIPPED FROM SAID SEAT UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID ELEVATOR MEANS, SAID HOLD DOWN MEANS BEING SPACED ABOVE SAID SEAT A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF COIL, (D) DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ELEVATOR MEANS FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TO A SECOND POSITION, AND (E) RELEASNG MEANS CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO REMOVE SAID COIL HOLD DOWN MEANS FROM ITS COIL RETAINING POSITION WHEN SAID ELEVATOR MEANS IS AT SAID SECOND POSITION. 